


The Gift

by duskblue, Violettavonviolet



Series: Irondad Bingo 2019 [17]
Category: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: (I always write Tony soft because I love him that way), Fluff and Angst, Gen, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Tony Stark Coparenting Peter Parker, Mostly Fluff, Ned Leeds is a Good Bro, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, soft tony stark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-20
Packaged: 2021-03-28 13:21:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 21,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30140196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/duskblue/pseuds/duskblue, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Violettavonviolet/pseuds/Violettavonviolet
Summary: On Peter’s sixteenth birthday, May gives him an old shoe box that once belonged to his mother filled with some of her personal things. To his surprise, he finds a letter that she never meant for him to read. It tells him of a life changing secret about a man who is his biological father. With a little help from his best friend, Peter works through the clues to figure out if his suspicion is true.Written for the 2021 Iron Dad Big Bang!Author: duskblueArtist: Violettavonviolet(Also written to satisfy my bio dad bingo prompt. Shhh)
Relationships: May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker, Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: Irondad Bingo 2019 [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1326146
Comments: 37
Kudos: 349
Collections: Irondad Big Bang 2021, Irondad_and_Spideyson





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!! duskblue here! I've been working on this story since last October. I'm so happy to finally be able to post it!! What's great is that I was paired with a fantastic artist to illustrate! So thank you much! I also want to thank my beta, [jwriter819](https://jwriter819.tumblr.com/) and the organizers of the Iron Dad Big Bang. You're all awesome! <3
> 
> Note: This story has 2 parts. The 2nd part will be posted tomorrow. :)
> 
> Please check out our tumblrs!  
> Artist: [Violettavonviolet](https://violettavonviolet.tumblr.com/)  
> Author: [duskblue-art](https://duskblue-art.tumblr.com/)

The Gift  
Part 1

When Peter wakes up that morning, he’s happy and excited, and all he can think about is the driving test he has scheduled that afternoon that Tony is taking him to. It’s also his sixteenth birthday, a day that used to seem so far in the future when he was little. He can’t believe it’s already here. By the end of the day, he will (hopefully) have a driver’s license. It’s one step closer to being an adult, and he can’t wait. 

So he wastes no time racing out to the living room, hoping he’ll catch his aunt before she goes off to work. The smell of burnt bacon and toast hits him in the face before he gets too far, and he skids to a stop on the linoleum. 

Aunt May is dishing out some scrambled eggs next to a large pile of really crisp looking bacon. “Happy Birthday, Peter!” she says, picking up the plate as well as another one piled with the toast and setting them on the little table in their kitchen. “I made you a full breakfast. The bacon got a little burned, sorry about that.”

Peter grins and plops down at the table, picking up a fork. “I like it that way.”

She ruffles his hair briefly and goes back to the counter where she pours him a big glass of orange juice. “Sorry I can’t stay, sweetheart. But Tony’s picking you up at noon, right?” She deposits the glass gently on the table beside his plate. “I’m sure he’s got some sort of outing planned for you after your driving test. Don’t forget to text me to let me know how it goes! I know you’ll do just fine.”

“I hope so.” He crunches down on his toast and chews for a moment. “I’m a little nervous about the test. How embarrassing would it be to fail in front of Mr Stark?”

She grabs her purse off the counter and turns to smile at him gently. “Don’t worry. He won’t think any less of you, I promise. And I’m sure he’ll take you the second time around, too, if you need it.” She’s halfway to the door before she turns around and walks back to the table. “Oh! Before I forget, see that box there?”

For the first time, Peter notices a box sitting at the other end of the table. It looks like an old shoe box that’s been sitting in a closet for ages. He’s never seen it before in his life. “Okay?”

“That has some of your mother’s things in it,” May goes on. “I’ve had it for a long time, and when you were little, I always thought I would give it to you on your sixteenth birthday. Now that the day is here, I’m wondering if it’s too soon.”

He sets his bacon down. This was not a part of his day that he was expecting at all. “What’s in it?”

“I haven’t really gone through it,” May says, opening the box and peeking in. “Looks like some paperwork, a few small jewelry boxes, some photos, and other little things. Oh, and a notebook. I looked in the jewelry boxes. One of them has her rings in it, the other is a necklace I’ve never seen before. Maybe it belonged to her mother or grandmother? Do you want it now, or should we wait?”

Peter’s not really sure what he wants to do. He barely remembers his parents, but at the same time, it feels like an important part of his history. And he can’t deny he’s curious about the box. “I think I’ll have it now. Thanks, May,” he says, picking his bacon back up. “See you tonight?”

“Of course, birthday boy.” She smiles and smooths out a wrinkle on the sleeve of his t-shirt. “Tonight is movie night. Don’t forget! Good luck on your driving test!”

“Thanks!” Peter calls, watching while she leaves the apartment and closes the door behind herself. When he can’t hear her in the halls or on the stairs anymore, he turns back to his breakfast and the strange box in front of him on the table, the cover now off and sitting beside it. He quickly shovels his food in and downs his glass of orange juice. He’s not sure why, but he has a weird feeling, and he’s anxious to see what’s inside the box. 

He puts his dishes in the sink before grabbing his phone as well as the box from the table and going into the living room where he turns on the television to some dumb morning show for some background noise. He hates when his thoughts are too loud for his head.

Once he’s comfortable on the couch with the shoe box beside him, the first thing he takes out is a ring box. He opens it and a few rings almost fall out. It’s not one ring in there, but several. Peter thinks he can tell which ones are her wedding set because they’re the ones inserted into the box while the rest are loose in the lid. One in her wedding set is a plain gold band, and the other is similar, but it has a small diamond set in the center. It’s tiny compared to the one Pepper has on her hand, but Peter doesn’t care. He still thinks it’s nice. The rest of the rings look like ones passed down from relatives or some cheaper ones that probably aren’t real gemstones. He carefully closes the ring box and sets it on the couch while his eyes search for the next thing to examine.

He picks up a small stack of photos he hasn’t seen before. They look pretty old if his mom’s hairstyle says anything about them. A few are snapshots from his parents’ wedding where everyone has happy smiles and glasses of champagne in their hands while others show his mom standing in Central Park and showing off different sized baby bumps. It makes Peter smile because he knows that he’s in those pictures, too. Next are some photos from when he was born, and a picture of his dad and his Uncle Ben being silly with their arms around each other’s shoulders. The last pictures in the pile are some old pictures of Peter from when he was really little. 

He gently sets them down and reaches for another jewelry box, this one a little flatter than the ring box. Did May say there was a necklace in here? He pops the lid open and immediately notices that this piece of jewelry isn’t like any of the other ones he’s found so far. There’s a teardrop shaped sapphire attached to two thin strands of diamonds that get smaller in size until the chain is revealed beneath them. Inside the lid of the box is a photo of his mother cut out to fit. She’s standing on a grand staircase wearing a blue dress that matches the sapphire perfectly. Peter holds the box into the light where the stones sparkle and shine, and he doesn’t think they’re fake, but what does he know about gemstones? 

After he snaps the jewelry box shut again and sets it beside the other things he’s already deboxed, he reaches for a small red notebook that’s sitting on top of a stack of folded up paperwork. He doesn’t know what it is about that notebook, but something in him stirs, and his anxiety suddenly spikes. 

He opens it anyway.

The first page is dated several weeks after he was born, and it appears to be a letter of some sort, addressed to him of all people. 

_Dear Peter,_

_It seems kind of silly writing this to you when you’re a baby, but I can’t tell anyone else, and I know you’ll never read this, so I guess it’s a good way to get this out somehow. When I found out I was pregnant with you, I was so happy because I always wanted a family. Your father was thrilled, too. In fact, we were having a little fight at the time, and news of your pending arrival pulled us back together. I’m convinced that it was supposed to go that way. It’s just that there’s something he doesn’t know._

_First off, I want you to know that your dad is your dad in every way that matters. He was there for you the second he found out I was pregnant with you, he was there when you were born, and he’s there every time you wake up screaming in the middle of the night to walk the hallways with you. Please don’t think he’s anything less than your dad just because of the horrible thing I’m about to tell you._

Peter tries to take a break from the letter because it’s so much to take in, but his eyes can’t help but dart ahead, looking for this awful secret that his mom is preparing to tell him.

_I mentioned up above that I was having a stupid fight with your dad. We were technically not together when a friend of mine invited me to a huge Christmas Gala filled with celebrities and red carpets and all the best food and drinks you can imagine. It was there that I met him. My heart was broken, and he mended it and swept me off my feet that entire weekend. He gave me presents and made some crazy promises, and I fell for them all. But then Monday happened, and I went back to reality. I was staying with the same friend who brought me to the Gala, and he called me a few times, but I didn’t answer. By then I was feeling so guilty. You see, I’ve been with your dad for so long, and I’ve never even looked at anyone else until that weekend. Eventually, he stopped calling, and then a little later, I found out I was pregnant with you._

Peter has to set the letter down now. What exactly was she saying here? That his dad wasn’t his biological dad? They broke up before he was born, and his mom got pregnant with some other random guy? And that sapphire and diamond necklace he found before—was that from his biological father?

This is a lot. Part of him wishes May had done a better job of going through the box before giving it to him, but another part of him knows that he deserves to know the truth. So with a deep breath, he picks the letter back up.

_Everyone was ecstatic. Your dad and I got back together, and your Aunt May and I quickly planned a small wedding. It was beautiful and romantic and everything I have ever dreamed of. I almost forgot that there was a strong chance that the baby growing inside of me was not my husband’s. The second you were born and I saw you, I knew. Your eyes were just like the eyes of your biological father. Your dad didn’t know, of course, because he could never imagine that I had been with anyone but him. He accepted you as his own right away. I keep worrying that he’ll see it one day, but there’s not even a glimmer of doubt in his eyes. He’s totally madly in love with you. And I can’t ever take that away from him._

_So, Peter, I’m so very sorry. I feel so guilty. For not only what I’ve done to your dad, but what I’ve done to you. You didn’t choose any of this. I’m so happy that you have two loving parents, and I hope that’s always the case, but this isn’t fair to you. And then… your biological father. He has no idea. I’m pretty sure if he knew, he’d want to be involved in some way, but I don’t think he’d be the best father for you. So I hope if you ever find out you’ll forgive me for keeping this from you and everyone else._

_We love you so much and we always will.  
Love, Mom_

Peter flips the notebook to the next page, and the next, and then the next. He flips through the entire thing but there is no more writing. Besides that letter at the front, the entire notebook is blank. And he can’t believe she wrote that all out and did not mention the name of this mysterious biological father at all! He knows she didn’t mean for him to see it, but how can she not even mention his name? 

He shoves everything he’s already pulled out of the box aside and then dumps the rest of it on the couch cushions, determined to get to the bottom of this. He finds a copy of his birth certificate, but it clearly says Richard Parker where his father’s name should be. That makes sense though because no one else believed otherwise. Then there are some old letters from his mom’s college friends, some birthday cards that his dad sent her where he wrote little love notes on the insides, and even some old paperwork for a car she bought a long time ago. He thinks he’s gone through everything and is about to give up when he sees a yellow post-it sticking out from between two of the letters. Carefully he peels it away from the letter and looks down at the hastily written note in a very familiar handwriting.

_Saw this and thought it matched the  
dress you wore that night perfectly.  
Call me.  
TS_

Peter doesn't remember dropping the note, but the next thing he knows, the note is on the floor between his feet, and he’s trying to catch his breath. He doesn’t know how long he’s been sitting there, staring down at that note when his phone buzzes from the coffee table. ‘Mr Stark’ lights up on the display, but Peter doesn’t make a move to grab it.

After what seems like ages, the buzzing stops, and the phone goes black for a good thirty seconds before lighting up again with another buzz. There’s a voicemail. Peter can’t help himself. He reaches forward and grabs the phone, putting it to his ear with a shaky hand.

“Hey, Pete!” Tony’s voice comes through. “I know we’ll be seeing each other later, but I was thinking about you and how it’s your birthday, so I thought I’d call and get a jump on that. You’re probably still sleeping… but text me when you get up. Anyway, happy birthday, bud!”

Peter is frozen with the phone stuck to his ear, listening to nothing after the voicemail ends, but when he finally snaps out of it, he knows he has to do something. This is life changing news, and he’s one hundred percent not ready for it. Not even close. So he gathers up the note and everything on the couch and stuffs it back into the box, slamming the lid on tight. He grabs it and stands up, looking from his bedroom to the front door, wondering what he can do to make this whole thing disappear. 

He could start a fire on the stove and burn everything. It’s not like their kitchen is a stranger to fires. No one would even get suspicious. Then he could pawn the necklace and give the money to a charity. He would never have to think about any of it ever again.

Except… he already knows the truth. No matter how he tries to hide it or ignore it, he could never hide it from himself. It’s way too late. So instead, he rushes towards his room and throws the box down on his desk. Instead of destroying the contents, which is kind of what he wants to do, he opens a drawer and grabs a pair of scissors and some duct tape. It takes him a good five minutes, but by the end, he has completely taped up the box in two layers. And he would have done a third, but the roll ran out.

He’s not sure what to do with it, so he climbs up on his desk chair and clears a space at the very top of his closet, shoving it to the very back. He knows the duct tape won’t prevent anyone from getting inside the box if they really want to, but he’s hoping it will make him think twice before opening it again. After he drags the chair back out, he closes the closet door and then leans back against it, closing his eyes tightly and trying to breathe. Some things are just better left in the past, and maybe this is one of them.

Right?

~*~ 

Peter spends the rest of the morning in a kind of a haze, fielding birthday messages and getting ready for his driving test almost all on auto pilot. He’s not exactly ready, but he even sends a text to Tony thanking him for the birthday message because he knows if he doesn’t, the man is just going to show up early and probably in a suit. And he doesn’t want to deal with that. So it’s not like he really had a choice in the matter. The fact that he’s going to have to spend the afternoon with him just hours after finding all this information out is so overwhelming to Peter that he doesn’t know how to handle it. He needs time to process it, but obviously, he doesn’t have that.

He is still trying to figure out what he’s going to say to Tony or how he’s going to act around him when he gets a text at eleven-thirty. 

**Mr Stark: On my way up! Bringing your birthday present, so open the door.**

Peter groans. Oh no. Tony is going to completely spoil him and make him feel extra guilty for knowing this huge secret. If he wants the door open, it must be something big, right? He drags himself to the door and unlocks it, opening it just as he hears Tony’s footsteps in the hallway approaching the apartment. 

Tony stands there partially obscured by two big gift bags with tissue paper coming out of the top. Peter forgets about everything that happened this morning for just a second and wonders if Tony put the tissue paper in the bags himself. 

“Two?” he asks while Tony steps inside and kicks the door closed behind himself. 

“Happy birthday, kiddo!” Tony says, setting the bags on the table and grinning over them. “Go on, have at it!”

Peter reaches towards the gifts and then stops. “Is May gonna be mad?”

Tony shrugs. “Maybe. Probably not. Why don’t you find out?”

Peter has had enough surprises for one day, but figures he can’t get out of this one, so he reaches for the tissue paper and tugs on it, pulling it out until he can see down into one of the bags. It’s a brand new, top of the line digital camera. He’s looked them up not too long ago, and he knows how much they cost. Fortunately, May doesn’t need to know those details. 

“Whoa… Mr Stark. This is too nice. You know you didn’t have to get me the best one, right?” He pulls the box out of the bag and turns it around, looking at it from all angles. He’s going to get some amazing shots from the tops of buildings. “And it comes with the best standard lens! I can get so much use out of this!”

Tony is grinning at him, obviously enjoying his excitement. “Open the other bag.”

“Oh no…” Peter sets the camera box down and reaches for the next bag. He’s afraid to look inside, so he closes his eyes, but once he shoves the tissue paper away, and he opens one eye, it’s just as he feared. Tony has given him four of the best and most expensive lenses that his money can buy. How is he going to explain this to May? Does she know how much lenses cost? “You know… Christmas isn’t that far away… you could have saved something for then.”

Tony looks offended. “What makes you think I haven’t? And what makes you think this is the last part of your birthday presents?”

“I mean, thank you for the camera!” Peter says, backpedaling a little. “I love it. I’m going to take a million pictures. Wait till you see the wide angle view from the top of the empire state building. It’s gonna be amazing. But maybe we should hide these extra lenses so May doesn’t see them?”

Tony rolls his eyes. “Okay, fine. I see your point. She’s already going to be mad at me about the other thing.”

Peter grabs the bag of lenses and turns to look at him. “What other thing?”

“You’ll see.” Tony grins. “Get a move on. The license bureau takes points off for being late.”

“No, they don’t,” Peter grumbles, dashing off to his room to stash his extra lenses in his closet. For a second, as he places them on the floor of his closet, his eyes travel to where he has his mother’s old shoe box hidden up in the shelves. He wasn’t expecting to be back here so soon, and it’s a little unsettling, but once again, he pushes the feelings down and closes it all away inside the closet. It shouldn’t matter how Tony is related to him. They already have an established relationship, and he doesn’t need to mess it up over some stupid letter from forever ago.

So he dashes back out into the living room where Tony is waiting at the door.

“Nervous?”

Peter shakes his head. “No. Okay, maybe a little. What if I get some mean old guy?”

“Nope.” Tony puts his hand on Peter’s back and guides him out the door. “I know a guy.”

“If my instructor is Happy—” 

“It’s not Happy!”

~*~

“Alright, so a few points off the parallel parking episode, but other than that, you’ve earned your stripes,” Mr Hearne says while he looks down at his tablet and marks something off with his stylus. 

Peter grins from the driver’s seat. Earning your stripes is old people talk for passing, right? “So… I passed?” 

“Yeah, you passed.” Mr Hearne’s blue eyes wink up at him briefly. “You can tell Tony to keep you off the city streets if he’s going to put you in those damn hot rods of his, though.” 

“It’s okay,” Peter says without thinking. “My aunt said no to that.”

There’s a tap on the passenger window before he can be embarrassed, and Tony is leaning down and looking inside with interested eyes. “So?” he says in a muffled voice.

Peter gives him a smile and a thumbs up.

“Alright,” Mr Hearne says, cracking his door open and waiting for Tony to move out of the way before opening it up the rest of the way and then slowly slowly swinging a leg over. “You and Tony can park the car in the lot and then meet me inside. We’ll get you all squared away.”

“Thanks, Mr Hearne!” Peter says and then waits while Mr Hearne gets out of the car. He spends a good several minutes talking to Tony by the curb before Tony gets in and shuts the door. It suddenly feels really quiet, and it dawns on Peter that this is technically a really big moment he’s spending with his technical father. 

“He said you did great! I’m really proud of you, Pete. Well, come on. Let’s pull it into a space and get your actual license. Then we can go grab some food!” Tony is talking like he doesn’t even notice the quiet at all, and hell, maybe he doesn’t. Maybe it’s just in Peter’s head. 

“Thanks,” Peter says, looking around him before putting his blinker on and reaching for the gear shift with a slightly shaky hand. He carefully makes his way to the parking lot and pulls into a space, being sure to follow every single rule he’s learned, and then jumps out, holding the keys out to Tony when meets him at the back of the car. 

“I’ll take these,” Tony says, grabbing the keys from him and slipping them into his pocket. “I have a little surprise after lunch, and I don’t want to spoil it by giving you directions.”

Peter groans, but he still can’t wipe the smile off his face. He knows May is going to hate whatever it is, but even so, it’s nice to be spoiled. Or rather, it’s nice to have someone who cares about him enough to spoil him. Not that May doesn’t—she does—it’s just that it’s nice to have someone other than her to do it. His brain, of course, fills in the words for him, that it would be nice to have a dad, but he shoves that thought away. It’s supposed to be buried under several layers of tape on the top shelf of his closet.

Fortunately, having Tony Stark’s connections gets Peter his license pretty quickly, and in no time at all, they’re out the door with a piece of plastic pronouncing him a licensed driver from the state of New York with the dorky photo to prove it. After he sends a picture of it to Ned and shoves it into his wallet, Tony takes him to what he would consider a fancy restaurant, but Tony clearly knows the owners, and they go in the back entrance and sit at a private table so it doesn’t really matter that they’re not dressed for the occasion. 

“It’s just lunch,” Tony says like it’s no big deal.

It clearly is a big deal, Peter thinks when he sees the fancy dishes that are brought out. There isn’t even a menu, and the two of them are served like they’re family. Everything is delicious, and Peter is stuffed, but when the owner brings out a little chocolate birthday cake, he knows he’s going to make room. Everyone sings, and he blows out the candles. There are claps and cheers, and Tony is smiling so big, Peter can’t miss how happy he looks.

The elderly owner pats him on the back first and then gives Tony’s back a small pat, too, before he and the staff leave the room, and Peter and Tony are by themselves once again. Peter takes a big bite of chocolate cake because he’s running out of things to say, and his brain can’t stop thinking about the box in his closet.

Tony takes a much, much smaller bite. “Good?” he says, watching Peter eat.

Peter nods. “Mm hm.”

“You seem a little quiet today,” Tony says after a moment. “Which is kind of odd for you. Everything okay?”

Crap. Peter has been trying so hard to not act any differently, but he supposes Tony knows him well enough to pick up on something even if it’s small. He finishes chewing his giant bite of cake and washes it down with a few sips from his glass of Coke. “There’s just a lot going on today. Sorry, Mr Stark. All this is really great. Thank you for the camera and the lenses and taking me to get my license. This place is really great, too. The food was amazing, and the cake is so, so good. I love it.”

“You’re welcome, bud,” Tony smiles, sticking his fork back into his slice of cake. “Just checking. You’re usually talking a mile a minute.”

Peter digs into his cake again. “Just too busy eating.”

“Well, finish up your cake. I got one more thing on the agenda, and it involves a little bit of driving, so we’re on a timeline. I want to get you home before your aunt gets off from work tonight.”

Peter has no idea what Tony has planned, but he’s definitely excited so he shoves the rest of the cake in his mouth and sucks down more of his coke. “Okay, I’m ready.”

Tony sets down his fork. “Well, don’t choke on it.” He looks around before tucking some bills under his plate. Earlier, the owner had made a big deal about how it was on the house, and clearly, Tony doesn’t want to get caught paying for it. After he’s successfully paid for their meals and probably thensome, he stands up, motioning that Peter should as well. “Let’s get shakin’.”

Peter follows him out the back door and towards the car. Once they’re settled in and back on the road, he struggles to stay awake. With a full stomach and a smooth ride, it’s extremely difficult.

He wakes up to Tony brushing his hair out of his face just like May does, and he nearly jumps out of his seat.

“Whoa,” Tony says, pulling his hand back. “I was trying to wake you without startling you. Sorry about that. Anyway, we’re here. Ready for your last present? I mean, your last planned present. I reserve the right to think up spontaneous presents later on.”

Peter yawns and stretches, but can’t help but grin even though he’s still kind of reeling. “Yep. Where are we?” He looks outside the car windows and notices that in the distance is the Avenger’s Compound. Tony has the car parked next to the Quinjet and several other aircrafts and vehicles set aside for not only official Avenger use, but personal Avenger use as well. The team, or what was left of it, anyway, usually parked their personal vehicles closer to the compound, but Peter notices that there is a shiny red car that he’s never seen before parked out in the middle of the big lot.

“Like what you see?” Tony asks, Peter’s previous question obviously has already been answered. “It’s yours. With some caveats, of course. Your aunt specifically told me I couldn’t get you a car. So, it’s not in your name. And you can’t take it home with you. But it’s yours to use when you spend the weekends here. Good enough?”

Peter has been staring at the car barely registering it while he listens to Tony. When Tony stops talking, he turns to face him. “You totally didn’t have to do this. I mean it, Mr Stark. I have so many other ways to get around. I can walk, I can run, I can take the bus or the subway—” He holds out his wrists. “I can even web my way to places! I don’t _need_ a car!”

Tony rolls his eyes. “Of course you don’t _need_ a car. But I wanted to get you one. Actually, I was younger than you when I took my first car apart and put it back together. My dad was pissed. If you ever want to do that, let me know, and I’ll find you a car to take apart. This one’s for driving only.”

Peter doesn’t know what to say. Tony is comparing this situation to something that happened between him and his dad, and it’s weird because of what Peter found out that morning. It makes his heart hurt because without even knowing it, their relationship kind of is that of father and son already. And it’s weird. Really, really weird.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Tony says when Peter says nothing. He’s dangling the keys in front of Peter’s face, smiling like he’s never been so happy.

Peter hesitantly takes the keys. “Thanks, Mr Stark. You didn’t have to do any of this.”

Tony nudges him in the shoulder. “Of course, I did, bud. I wanted to. Now, go on. I want to see you driving loops around this parking lot.”

Peter grins and opens the door, making a break for the car. 

“Wait!” Tony yells. “I better come with!”

~*~

After Italian food for lunch with Tony and a huge Chinese spread for dinner with May, Peter has never been so full. He and May are finishing the first movie of the night when she nudges him and finally asks the question he’s been trying to avoid the entire evening.

“So. What did Tony get you? I thought it would be filling up this place by the time I got home from work, whatever it is, but I don’t see it anywhere.”

“Oh,” Peter says, averting his eyes. He hates lying to her. “He got me this amazing camera. I haven’t had a chance to play with it yet. Hold on, I’ll go grab it. It’s in my room.” He jumps up from the couch and races to his room, grabbing the box with the camera and flopping back besides her where he begins to thumb open the tab on the box.

“Well, that looks pretty expensive,” she says, looking over the photo on the box. “Not that I expected anything different. Is that all he got you?”

He’s pulling the packaging out of the box when he stops to look at her. “Oh. Well…” 

“Peter,” she says in a stern voice. “What else did that man get you?” 

Peter sighs. He swore up and down to Tony he wouldn’t tell her about the car (yet, anyway) but he’s going to have to admit to the lenses. Besides, she’s going to be seeing them when he uses them later on, anyway. There’s no sense in hiding them from her now. “Just a few things for the camera. Let me get this out, and then I’ll show you, okay?” He finishes carefully extracting the camera from the box and surrounding packaging and sets it carefully on the couch before going back to his room and opening the dreaded closet where he’s stashed the lenses along with the rest of the secrets of his life.

When he gets back to the living room once more, May is holding the camera gently in her hands and looking at him through the viewfinder before lowering it slowly. “Reminds me of your mom. She liked to take pictures a lot, too. Something tells me I’m going to be seeing a lot from the tops of skyscrapers though, am I right?”

Peter smiles and sits back down with the bag of lenses. “Probably.” He takes them out one by one and looks them over. He hadn’t really looked too carefully at them before. He had been a little blown away for one thing, but there also hadn’t been much time. Now he can see that Tony had gotten him the most expensive versions of every useful lens. He’s not sure how much Tony knows about cameras, but clearly if he doesn’t, the man had someone to help him. 

“These look expensive, Peter,” May says, turning over the box that has the macro lens. “I told him not to spend so much money. It makes my present to you look like nothing.”

He sets down the spendy 50mm lens and faces her. “No, May! I would never think that! Mr Stark is a literal billionaire. I know he cares about me. I mean, I’m pretty sure I’m the only teenager he gives any attention to, but what he spends on me is probably like a drop in the bucket to him. That’s why he’s always trying to spend more on me. He doesn’t think it’s enough. It’s probably impossible for him to spend enough money for him to show how much he cares. He can’t buy the world, after all.”

“Don’t tell him that,” she says, chuckling, “or he might try.”

~*~

“Dude, I cannot wait to see the car Mr Stark got you,” Ned says on their walk from May’s car to the theater. 

“Shh!” Peter practically slaps his hand over his best friend’s mouth and looks back at May who’s waiting in her car, watching the two of them walk into the building.

“She can’t hear you, you know,” Ned says. “No super hearing, remember? That’s only you. And no one else cares that Mr Stark got you a car, and no one else is even listening to our conversation.”

Peter waves to May before they duck inside the movie theater. “Let’s just not yell it, okay?”

“Well, I for one can’t wait to see it. Speaking of cars, if you got your license, why is May still driving us to the movies?”

Peter reaches for his wallet so he can pay for his ticket while the two of them get into the ticket line. “She has to work later. Mr Stark is gonna pick us up when it’s over. I’m going to the compound for the weekend.”

“I still can’t get over it,” Ned says, reaching back for his own wallet while he shakes his head in disbelief. “Mr Stark is basically your dad, you know. Face it, Peter. He taught you to drive, took you to get your license, and bought you a car. Now it’s like he’s got joint custody of you, and you go see him on the weekends.”

Peter freezes. He had been under the impression that spending the afternoon out with Ned would be some sort of escape from his thoughts about his recent discovery, but then Ned had to go ahead and say _that_? “He is _not_ my dad!” he says a little more loudly than he meant to. “He’s a billionaire who bought me a car and is being extra nice to me. That’s it!”

Ned looks like he wants to take a step back from him. “You don’t actually believe that, Peter,” he says slowly. “Mr Stark is way more than that to you.”

The line moves forward and their conversation is paused while they take a few steps to move up in line.

“Did you eat lunch today?” Ned stops when they pause again. “I’m going to buy you some hot dogs or something. My mom said sometimes people with low sugar levels tend to get—” He shuts up when Peter turns to glare at him.

“I’m not hungry, Ned.”

“But you’re always hungry.”

It’s finally their turn to purchase tickets, so they quickly shell out their money in exchange for tickets to the latest action movie they came to see. By the time they give their tickets to the ticket taker and head to the concession stand, Peter sighs. “Fine. I’m gonna get some popcorn. You want some?”

“Duh,” Ned says, following behind him. “So… are you okay? I thought everything went really well on your birthday. Everything’s okay, right?”

Peter sighs, ignoring him for a minute or so while he buys a giant tub of popcorn and two sodas. He doesn’t want to talk about that stupid box. He doesn’t want to talk about Tony and the letter his mom wrote or any of it. But now that he blew up at his best friend and it was super unreasonable, he has to come up with some sort of excuse so that he’ll get off his back. “I’m fine,” he says when he hands one of the sodas to Ned. “It’s just… I was supposed to do those things with Ben. And I don’t really want to talk about it now. Can we just watch the movie?”

Ned gives him a look of pity but pats his shoulder kindly. “Understood. Why don’t you go load up on butter while I get us some candy. I think you need it.”

Peter tries to smile and hopes that it looks like a genuine one because in reality, guilt is twisting in his gut while he watches Ned turn to head back to the counter. He slowly trudges toward the popcorn station and absentmindedly does his best to drizzle butter over the entire thing, topping it off with a little salt. He hates how it doesn’t drip down to the middle, but that’s a problem for another day. What he hates the most is not only how he snapped at and lied to his best friend and how he can’t tell anyone the truth about Tony, but worst of all, he hates how he said out loud that Tony was nothing more than some rich guy who wanted to buy him a car. Ned knew it wasn’t true, and of course Peter knows that it isn’t true, either. Tony is more than any of that. And he doesn’t want to be the person with all the secrets anymore.

But then if he told everyone about that letter, what would happen? Would things change? 

He just can’t risk it.

“Dude—”

Peter looks down to realize he ate the top layer of popcorn. “Oh. Um, I had to make room for more butter. Hold on.” He turns back to the butter machine and drizzles more butter all over the top, this time, there’s enough room for him to shake it around and add more butter. Perfect. “It actually works better this way because I can get the butter down into the bucket.”

“Here, I got you these,” Ned says, handing Peter a large pack of sour patch kids when Peter gives him the bucket of popcorn. “Your favorite.”

This time, Peter’s smile is genuine. “Thanks.”

“You sure you’re okay?” Ned asks while they make their way to their theater. “When I got back from getting the candy, you had this weird look on your face. Like you lost your best friend or something. Which of course isn’t true…” He nudges Peter.

“Of course not.” Peter leads the way into the theater and they find their seats at the very back near the end so they can get up and grab more snacks whenever they want without climbing over anyone’s legs. “I’m fine though. I promise. I just really don’t want to talk about it.”

“Okay, if you insist.” 

They take their seats and get situated with their snacks and drinks. In no time at all, to Peter’s great relief, the theater darkens, and the previews start up. It’s the best thing ever, because now that it’s dark, and he’s immersed in this other world, he can forget about his own for the next two hours.

~*~

“That was amazing!! What was your favorite part? Mine was definitely the car chase. I can’t believe they took out that bridge and still made it! It was epic, man, just amazing!” Ned has been going on and on about the movie on the entire walk out of the theater. Peter has to admit, the movie was pretty great, though he hadn’t been quite as enthralled as Ned had been. After all, he’s been in his own chases, which are way cooler than just seeing them on the screen. But he doesn’t ruin his friend’s fun and listens the whole way out.

“Yeah, I really liked the chase, too,” he agrees, looking down at his phone to see if Tony’s replied to his message that they were ready to be picked up. His phone buzzes and a message pops up right then that says, ‘Already here and waiting.’

“Is Mr Stark gonna be driving your car?” Ned asks, doing his best to keep up with him once they get outside. 

“Probably not,” Peter says. “He left it at the Compound. I can probably drive it this weekend. I’ll send you some pics if you promise not to show anyone and delete them right away.” He turns around and fixes his friend with a stern expression. “I mean it. Your mom can’t see because she might tell May.”

“I promise! I’ll delete it right away!”

Tony’s car pulls up right next to where they’re standing and the passenger window rolls down smoothly. He leans over a little so Peter can see him. “You know you can talk inside the car, right?”

Peter and Ned rush into the car, Peter climbing into the front seat while Ned hurries into the back. Tony waits until the doors are shut, and they’re completely buckled in before he pulls away from the curb and carefully drives through the parking lot and towards the street. 

“Good movie?” he asks.

“The best!” Ned says and goes into another spiel about all his favorite parts, this time for Tony’s benefit.

Tony looks over at Peter through his tinted glasses when they’re at the stop light and smiles at him while they both listen to Ned go and on. Peter smiles back at him easily, and it feels a little weird, but then again, it doesn’t. And when Tony looks away so he can focus on the road, and Ned is still talking, Peter is left to his thoughts again while Tony continues the drive back to Ned’s house. 

After they drop Ned off and drive away, this time towards the Compound, Tony reaches over and nudges Peter in the shoulder. “So it wasn’t my imagination,” he says and then pauses for what feels like a really long time. “Ned couldn’t shut up, and you barely said a word. If you ask me, that’s definitely not normal. Is something going on?”

Peter doesn’t know how to reply to that. He knows he’s being quiet. Tony had picked up on it a few days ago on his birthday, and then Ned had noticed it earlier, so it’s not like it’s unknown to him. He was just hoping Tony wouldn’t actually bring it up again. It’s not like he can feed Tony the same excuse he had given Ned before. If he tells Tony he’s upset because he wasn’t able to spend his sixteenth birthday getting his license with Ben, then he’ll hurt Tony’s feelings, and that’s something he definitely doesn’t want to do. For one thing, while it’s true he misses Ben, he doesn’t want to replace any moments from that day, and telling Tony that he does would just be a lie.

“I think I ate too much junk at the movie,” Peter says, trying a different lie instead. This one won’t hurt anyone’s feelings, at least. “And now my stomach kind of hurts.”

Tony glances at him, concerned, before turning back to the road and stepping on the gas as the light turns green. “You gonna make it to the Compound? Or should we make a pitstop?” 

Peter puts his hand on his stomach. “I think I’ll be okay. I’m just gonna close my eyes and try to sleep though, if that’s alright.”

“Of course, that’s fine,” Tony says. “Geez, what did you eat, anyway? I’ve never known you to have a junk food limit before. Unless you’re coming down with something? Are you sick?”

“I don’t know.” Peter turns a little on his side so he’s facing away from him. It’ll be easier to fake sick if Tony can’t see his face. “Can we talk about it later, though?”

“Yeah, yeah. Of course. Let me know if you’re gonna puke though. I’ll pull over.”

“I will,” Peter promises and closes his eyes. He’s about to try to sleep when he feels Tony’s hand patting his shoulder for just a few moments. He really shouldn’t be lying to this man who clearly cares for him. It’s wrong, right? But what is he supposed to do? This kind of thing shouldn’t even be his responsibility, and he doesn’t know why it is in the first place. 

~*~

“Hey, bud. We’re here.”

Peter stretches and opens his eyes to see Tony looming over him from the open passenger door of the car. He hadn’t been expecting to actually fall that far into a deep sleep.

“How are you feeling?” Tony asks.

Peter shrugs. “I don’t know. What are we doing today? Lab night?” If they’re holed up in the lab working on stuff, maybe Tony will be so distracted by projects he’ll forget that Peter’s been acting strange in the first place.

“Yeah, no.” Tony takes his arm and helps him out of the car. “You’re taking it easy for the rest of today. We’ll see how you feel tomorrow before you get any lab privileges.”

Peter sighs while Tony closes the car door. That means he better continue his ruse of not feeling well. He’s not sure what Tony has planned, but it probably includes sitting on the couch and watching movies with all the time in the world to talk. And if Tony is going to notice something is off, Peter better have a ready excuse for it. What sucks is he was hoping to talk Tony into ordering Chinese food for dinner. That’s definitely not going to fly anymore. 

“Okay, fine,” Peter says, walking into the private entrance of the compound beside Tony. It avoids the big lobby and places them directly into a small back hallway where they have access to an elevator that takes them to the living areas. “What are we going to do then?” he asks when they step inside the elevator.

“Fifth floor, FRIDAY,” Tony says and leans against the back wall, eyeing Peter. “Well, how are you feeling?”

Peter looks back at him and shrugs.

“Do you feel like sleeping, or do you feel like watching movies on the couch? If you’re hungry I can get you some soup and crackers, or at least that’s what Rhodey always makes me eat when I’m sick. Pepper’s more into these nasty green smoothies. You’re lucky she’s out of town this weekend, or she’d probably subject you to them, too.”

The elevator dings, notifying them of their arrival on the fifth floor, and Tony takes a step forward, putting his hand on Peter’s back and guiding him out into his suite. 

“I’d rather have soup than a green smoothie. Sounds disgusting,” Peter agrees, making way towards the room he uses when he stays here. “Can I have crackers, too?”

“It is disgusting. And if you feel up to it.” Tony pauses in the doorway and watches while Peter crawls onto his bed. “Why don’t you rest. Let me know when you’re hungry, and I’ll make the order.”

Peter closes his eyes and tries to focus on the cool feel of the bedspread beneath his hot cheek. “Thanks, Mr Stark.” 

It’s quiet for a moment, and he thinks that at any second, Tony will close the door and leave, but instead of doing that, he walks into the room with quiet feet and the next thing Peter knows, a soft blanket is falling over him and being tucked around his shoulders.

“Don’t need any frozen kids,” Tony says softly, giving Peter’s hair a light ruffle. “Have a good nap, bud.”

Only Peter isn’t tired. And the second the door clicks shut, his eyes fly open. Tony Stark isn’t just Peter’s biological father, he’s most definitely Peter’s dad. Peter just isn’t sure why he hasn’t noticed it before now. Is it because Ben used to do stuff like this, and he never thought of Ben as his dad? Well not really, anyway. Ben had always been his uncle, just like May has always been his aunt. Maybe that’s why it’s taken so long for Peter to put the pieces together. It took an old letter from his mother and a dumb note Tony had written to her long ago to slap him in the face and wake him up. 

So how in the world is he supposed to keep this all secret? 

Can it be that Tony suspects it? Is that why he already treats Peter like a son?  
Peter shifts onto his back and stares up at the ceiling, the blanket twisting around him. What is he supposed to do? He wishes he knew, because it’s too hard to have this type of responsibility on his shoulders. 

He’s also not tired at all. That nap in the car was more than enough to revive him considering he’s not actually sick, so he can only spend so much time lying in bed thinking about what he’s going to do without going absolutely crazy. He makes it about thirty minutes before he gives up and throws off the blanket, rolling out of bed, and tiptoeing out of his room.

The living room looks untouched, as does the kitchen, and Peter isn’t about to go searching in Mr Stark’s bedroom for him, so he does the next best thing. He asks FRIDAY.

“FRIDAY, where is Mr Stark?”

“Boss is on his way here right now. He was not expecting you to be up so soon,” FRIDAY replies.

Peter leans over onto the kitchen counter and waits. He feels bad for making Tony rush to him when he’s not actually sick. He knows it’s supposed to be their weekend together, but that doesn’t mean he needs to be entertained every single second. 

The elevator dings and Tony comes around the corner, spotting Peter immediately, and making his way towards him.

“You didn’t have to come right away,” Peter says, straightening up. “I’m fine. I can watch a movie or something. I just wasn’t that tired, I guess.”

“Don’t you worry. I was just passing time in the lab.” Tony puts his hand on Peter’s back and guides him towards the living room. “Come on. Let’s get you to the couch. Do you want to put on your PJs first?”

Peter feels his face heat up. What is he, a little kid? “No! It’s the middle of the day! This is fine.”

Tony shrugs, looking him over for a moment before pointing to the couch and then reaching for a few folded blankets from the other end of the couch. “Just thought you’d be more comfortable.”

“This is just fine,” Peter promises, taking a blanket from him and unfolding it, spreading it over himself and cuddling into it. Sure, it’s summer outside, but the Compound has the air conditioning on, and while his room is a little warmer than the rest of Tony’s suite, he’s always a little chilly in the living room. 

“Do you want something to drink?” Tony asks, tossing the other blanket on the couch beside him.

“Aren’t you going to watch with me?”

Tony stops in his tracks and looks down at Peter with a soft smile. “Depends. What are we watching? And don’t you dare say Harry Potter, or I’m out.”

Peter just smiles.

Tony frowns and huffs. “Okay, fine. But not the second one. You know I can’t stand Dobby.”

“But I love the Chamber of Secrets!”

Tony rolls his eyes and gives a long suffering sigh. “Only because I want you to feel better. Hang on while I go grab your Sprite.”

For the minute or so that Tony is gone, Peter ponders his course of action. What can he really do? It’s not like he can just come out and tell Tony about the letter. What would happen if he did that, anyway? Maybe Tony wouldn’t even believe him. It’s not like he has the letter or the post-it with him as evidence. And even if he did, maybe Tony wouldn’t actually want to be his dad. Sure, he’s fine being Peter’s mentor. He’s obviously even fine playing dad. But to actually be his biological dad? That might scare him off. 

Yeah, it’s best to just keep this all to himself. He already has what he wants, anyway. Why mess with it? Why take the chance?

He’s so lost in thought that when a Sprite appears in front of him, he almost jumps.

“What happened to your sixth sense?” Tony says, releasing the can when Peter takes it. “It’s a good thing I didn’t throw it at you.”

Peter pops the top and takes a sip. “Not feeling well, I guess,” he says, leaning forward to put it on a coaster on the coffee table. “Thanks. Are you going to sit down or just stand there?”

Tony tosses aside the blanket he had set down a few minutes before, and sits down, leaning close to Peter, and putting his hand across his forehead. And it’s really cold. “Wow, you’re burning up.”

Peter slaps his hand away. “You were holding the Sprite. Try your other hand.”

Tony laughs a little. “I knew that. I was kidding, obviously.” He puts his other hand on Peter’s head and then makes a face like he’s thinking really hard. “Hmm.” He puts his other hand on his own own forehead. “I guess your temperature feels normal to me.”

“You could ask FRIDAY,” Peter says, but doesn’t move from under his hand. “Isn’t that what you have an AI for? This type of thing?”

“Shh! You’re ruining the fun!”

FRIDAY clears her throat. “Excuse me, Boss. But Peter’s temperature has been between 98.2 and 98.7 since he’s been here today. He does not seem to be running a fever.”

Tony drops his hand from Peter’s forehead. “I guess I can’t fault her for being efficient, considering I did program her myself,” he says to Peter. “But I’m glad you don’t have a fever. And if I go by your ability to snark back at me, can I assume you’re feeling a little better?”

“A little,” Peter says. “We’re still going to watch Harry Potter, right? You promised.”

Tony leans back and sighs. “I guess I did, didn’t I? Well, you heard him, FRIDAY. Harry Potter. The second one that I love so much.”

Peter smiles and settles into the couch, as well, just as the movie begins playing. As much as a lab night would have been fun, a movie night is just as good. It just sucks that he’s going to have to eat soup later. He’s going to do his best to focus on having fun with Tony and not on all his anxiety about all the other stuff he’s probably going to have to deal with later on.


	2. Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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Part 2

It’s not until Saturday morning when Peter is most definitely feeling better that Tony lets down his guard and allows Peter to eat a full, Peter-sized breakfast. Peter is so hungry from existing on popcorn, sour patch kids, and chicken noodle soup from the day before, that he scarfs down the eggs and bacon and toast. He’s about to ask for seconds when his phone vibrates on the kitchen counter and May’s face lights up the screen.

“It’s May calling,” he says.

“Well, answer it,” Tony says from the other side of the counter, his coffee mug raised halfway to his lips.

Peter rolls his eyes, but then does as he’s told anyway, grabbing his phone and answering the call. “Hey, May. What’s up?”

“Oh, hi, sweetie,” she says. “I hope you’re having a good time at the Compound. Something came up, and I need to go to North Carolina with a friend from work this week. You remember Erin? Her sister passed away unexpectedly. She’s a complete wreck, and she has no one to go with her. I’m going to go with and mak-e sure she gets there safely. You don’t mind staying with Tony a little longer, do you?”

“Um, no…” Peter says slowly. Of course, he doesn’t mind staying with Tony, it’s just that he’d like a little more space and time to process his new information about their relationship, but he can’t exactly tell her that. “What about school stuff? I need a new backpack and shoes, and you said I could get some clothes—”

“Is Tony there?” she interrupts. “I need to work that stuff out with him.”

“Sure. hold on.” He holds the phone out to Tony. “It’s for you.”

Tony sets his mug down and takes the phone from Peter with an uneasy smile. He probably thinks he’s going to get a lecture of some sort. “Good morning, May. How are you this fine morning?”

Peter goes back to food, listening while May explains the situation again to Tony. He doesn’t mean to overhear, but with his sensitive ears, he can’t really help it. 

“Oh, well, that’s fine,” Tony says, looking up at Peter with a wink. “Of course, I don’t mind. What’s this about school stuff? I can take care of that, too, no problem.”

May goes into what could be a long lecture about going overboard while Tony rolls his eyes and opens his mouth, waiting for a moment to interrupt her. 

“I promise, nothing more than he needs,” he gets in at last. “We’ll even do it online so it won’t end up in any of those magazines you love so much.”

“Are you sure?” May asks. 

“One hundred percent sure,” Tony replies. “Buying a few school supplies isn’t even going to make a tiny dent in my wallet. Stop worrying about it. Besides, I want to do this. He’s practically my kid, anyway.”

Peter, who had been chugging down the last of his orange juice, almost spits it across the table. Instead, he forces it down, half choking on it. He gets up to walk away from Tony, coughing and trying to breathe at the same time.

“Hold on,” Tony says and puts the phone down so he can get up and follow Peter. “Are you okay?” He slaps on Peter’s back a little. “What happened?”

Peter coughs and sputters a little more, trying to clear his lungs enough to get some words out. “Swallowed… wrong,” he manages to say. 

Tony pats him on the back a few more times. “You’re okay, though? I don’t need to get a medic up here or anything?”

With watery eyes, Peter looks up at him and gives him a thumbs up before coughing some more. He doesn’t really listen to the rest of Tony and May’s conversation beyond the part where Tony assures May that Peter is alright. His brain is too busy going a mile a minute about the fact that it’s true. Tony really does think that Peter is his kid. He said it to May, clear as day. Well, he did use the word ‘practically,’ which would imply that he doesn’t actually believe that Peter is his biological kid. At least that clears that up. It does, however, make the prospect of possibly telling him about it that much more difficult. If he doesn’t know, and he’s not prepared for it, then how is he going to react?

“You good now?” 

When Tony’s hand falls back on Peter’s shoulder, he jumps a little. He had been so lost in thought, not even his Spidey sense had warned him that Tony had been right behind him. “Yeah, “Orange juice just went down the wrong pipe. I’m good. So, online shopping? Is that what May agreed to?”

“Yep,” Tony says, leading him to the back hallway. “Let’s head to my office. I’ve got some pretty big screens in there. We can pick out everything you need.” He pauses. “And maybe a few things you want if we don’t tell your aunt about it.”

~*~

The largest delivery of school supplies Peter has ever gotten in his life is delivered to the compound on Sunday night, shortly followed by the arrival of Pepper Potts, who, after stashing away her suitcase and changing into more comfortable clothes, comes back into the living room to watch Peter unbox his things like it’s Christmas morning.

It’s just a little awkward.

Peter is on a box of boring notebooks, folders, and pens and pencils when Pepper glances up at Tony. “So did you boys do anything fun this weekend? Or am I looking at it?”

“We did tons of fun stuff,” Tony says in a slightly defensive voice, his eyes meeting Peter’s. “Didn’t we, Pete? We watched movies, ate tons of food, worked in the lab, drove the new car around—” 

“New car?” Pepper raises an eyebrow, her gaze switching from Tony to Peter. 

Peter closes the top to the notebooks box and reaches for another one, this one much lighter. “Don’t look at _me_.”

“Thanks, kid,” Tony says with a frown and then clears his throat before facing Pepper’s narrowed expression. “So yeah, there’s a new car. And maybe it’s Peter’s car… but it’s only for when he’s here, and technically, it’s in my name. So there’s no reason we need to tell Aunt May, is there?”

Pepper’s quiet for what feels like a long time, but slowly, her facial features soften. “I guess we don’t need to tell her. He’s basically just driving your car while he’s here, and since he has his license, that should be okay. As long as you’re both responsible drivers. Am I clear?”

“Yes, Miss Potts,” Peter says at the same time Tony says, “Yes, Dear.”

“Good.” Pepper smiles and leans back in her chair. “Now that that’s out of the way, let’s see what you got for school, Peter.”

Peter sets down the box cutter and pries apart the lid. He lifts the tissue paper aside to reveal a brand new navy blue backpack that probably cost more than any backpack he’s ever owned in his life. Hell, this backpack probably cost more than all the backpacks he’s ever owned put together. And he’s terrified out of his ever loving mind that he’s going to lose it.

“Oh, that’s nice!” Pepper says when he holds it up.

“If he can manage to keep it for more than a week,” Tony adds in.

“I’m going to be _really_ careful,” Peter says, unzipping it and taking out the extra tissue and cardboard that was packed inside to hold its shape. The material feels expensive and even the zipper zips smoothly. He’s going to do his very best to keep track of this one. 

The other clothes he unpacks, he probably would have just stuffed them into the backpack, but Pepper wants to see it all, so he continues to show it off just like he’ll probably have to do the same thing with May later on, except by then, he’ll be sure to rip off the price tags. The clothes that Tony buys for him are way more than the clothes she would have bought. Next is dinner and movies before bed with plans to pick up some stuff from Peter’s apartment since he’s going to be staying there a little longer than planned.

~*~

Come morning, Tony lets Peter drive his new red car from upstate, but they switch just before they get into New York. Peter’s still a little leery about driving in the city, and he’s not really used to the new car yet. Most of all, he doesn’t want to get into an accident and ruin it. He is glad, however, that Tony let him drive most of the way because it gave him something to concentrate on other than the obvious problem his brain keeps running into over and over again.

It doesn’t hit him until they actually open the door to the apartment, that his anxiety about everything is amplified by actually being there, in the same general vicinity as the evidence. And it’s ten times worse with Tony there standing next to him. He knows that Tony isn’t going to go fishing around in his closet for stuff. But who knows what could happen. What if they’re looking for something and Peter’s in the living room and Tony goes in there without telling him? Or what if Peter’s hurt and Tony’s looking for bandages and he accidentally finds it? What if he’s grabbing some shirt and it falls down and hits him on the head? There are just way too many possibilities.

“Breathe,” Tony says, patting his back and giving him a little push into the apartment. “Are you sure you’re okay? You’ve been a little off since your birthday. If something is going on, you know you can talk to me about it, right?”

“I’m fine,” Peter says, which is what comes out of his mouth without any thought whatsoever. “I’m just gonna go grab my things. Give me a minute?” He slings his new backpack over his shoulder. What he really needs is a few minutes alone to gather his thoughts. Or tone them down. Or something.

Tony looks concerned and doesn’t reply right away, but he eventually sighs and pushes the door shut behind him. “Yeah, okay. I’ll be waiting in the living room. If you change your mind and want to talk though… you know where to find me.”

“I’m fine,” Peter says again, backing up and dragging his eyes away from him. He turns and makes a quick dash towards his room. He knows it probably looks a little like running away, but it’s too late now. He can’t go back and change it. Tony’s already totally suspicious of him, anyway, so what does it even matter if he acts more suspicious? It’s all too late. 

When he gets to his room, he closes the door, breathing hard. For some reason, he feels like he has to check on the shoe box. Make sure it’s there. He doesn’t know why it wouldn’t be. It’s not like May goes snooping into his closet ever, but just in case, he needs to see it and confirm that it’s there. Just to put his mind at ease. So he makes his way to the closet, letting his backpack fall from his shoulders and to the floor. He’ll get it later. He still has to take out his school clothes and pack it up with things he’ll need for the rest of the week. But first thing’s first.

His room is a mess, but now is really not the time to focus on that, so he pulls his desk chair out from his desk and through the mess of stuff he hasn’t picked up yet. He then opens the door and positions the chair so he can easily step up and peer into the shelf where he’s stashed the box. He supposes he could climb the walls, but the closet is small and there’s not a lot of space to climb. Not to mention, he has the space completely crammed with stuff, so there really isn’t a lot of wall space for him to even stick to.

Once he steps up on the chair, he can see the box, still wrapped all up in tape sitting there in the back on the top shelf. He pokes it to make sure it’s real and then decides it’s too visible. He needs to put something in front of it just in case anyone goes in here they won’t see it even if they do get on a chair. What can he put up here that will make no one look behind it? He steps down from the chair and looks around his room. There are so many things, but he finally lands on something on his desk that neither May nor Tony would be interested in… a stack of old hard drives that he fished out of a dumpster. He reaches to grab for them, but in his haste, he knocks something over, and it falls to the ground, right on his new backpack.

Peter almost yells out, watching while the botched web fluid burns a hole right through the top part of his brand new backpack. The edges of the material are singed and emit a little smoke, revealing the contents through a hole of about two inches. There is no way he can hide that in the amount of time Tony is allowing him to grab his things. Maybe later he can order a patch online and follow a youtube tutorial on how to sew it on? Maybe May will help him? Actually, he thinks he might be better at sewing than May would. But there’s no time for that now. 

He races back onto the chair and shoves the old hard drives in front of the box, perfectly hiding it from the world, but not from himself. Unfortunately, putting yet another barrier in front of it, does nothing to help him forget the fact that it exists. So much for taking a moment to decompress, he thinks while he jumps down to pull his clothes out of his new backpack and throw them on the bed. He finds an old ratty backpack buried under some dirty laundry and shoves in some things he’ll need for the week. The last thing he does is hide the part of the new backpack that’s damaged underneath a pillow just in case Tony walks into his room for whatever reason. Ugh, why do these things always happen to him?

He’s feeling like a failure when he walks back into the living room with the old backpack slung over his shoulder. Here Tony is trying to give him the world, and he’s even messing that up. What kind of a kid is he?

But the atmosphere in the living room seems off, and Peter stops in his tracks when he sees Tony, standing in front of the couch and looking back at him with a sober expression. Did he notice the backpack? Does he know? Did he smell the chemical burn? 

“I can explain—” Peter says.

To his horror, Tony holds up a yellow post-it—one Peter last saw the day he wrapped the shoe box in duct tape. How did Tony get it? There’s no way he got into the box. It’s been in Peter’s closet wrapped in duct tape. Peter was just there and he saw it with his own two eyes. Which means that the post-it somehow must have not gotten back into the box. When Peter had been upset that day, had he maybe dropped it? Did Tony find it on the floor or on the couch?

“What the hell is this?” Tony says, taking a step forward. 

“I don’t know,” Peter lies because it’s all he can think to do.

“Then what do you mean you can explain?”

“I was talking about my backpack,” he says, holding the old ratty thing slightly away from his shoulder. “Did May leave me a note?”

Tony looks confused for a moment and then steps forward to show Peter the note.

_Saw this and thought it matched the  
dress you wore that night perfectly.  
Call me.  
TS_

Peter tries to act like he’s reading it for the first time. “Did you write this?”

Tony presses his lips together. “Of course, I did. It’s in my handwriting, and I signed it with my initials. But I must have written it a long time ago because I’m most definitely not cheating on Pepper, and I have no recollection of writing it. So that begs the question. Why did I find it between your couch cushions?”

“Why were you looking between the couch cushions?” Peter asks. He’s shaking a little, but it’s clear to him that Tony has no idea why or who he wrote that note to. Maybe this doesn’t have to happen after all. 

“Because I dropped my phone there!” Tony says, losing his patience a little. He takes in a breath. “Look. I’m not mad at you, Peter. If you were going through my things and took something, I won’t be mad if you come clean now. I just want you to be honest.”

“What? I wasn’t going through your things!” Peter all but shouts. His tired brain wasn’t expecting Tony to accuse him of that. “Why would a note you wrote to someone else be in your things, anyway? If you gave it to someone else, wouldn’t that person have it? I don’t know why you’re mad at me! How am I even involved in this at all?”

Tony is looking at him for what feels like a long time. Finally, he lets out his breath and gestures to the couch. “Sit down. We should talk about this.”

Peter’s heart is racing. He doesn’t know what’s going through Tony’s head or what exactly he wants to talk about. Does he have any idea of the truth? He’s smart—really smart—maybe he figured it out while Peter was standing there yelling at him. But what can he even do about it? So he walks to the couch with his head hanging and drops his backpack to the floor before he plops down, his gaze between his feet while he waits for the inevitable. 

Much slower than Peter, Tony lowers himself to the couch, and the two sit there in a strange silence for several moments. Tony flickers the note between his fingers a little and clears his throat. “I’m not proud of a lot of things in the past. For one thing, I drank way too much, and I don’t remember a lot of stuff,” he says, setting the note on the cushion on the other side of his leg. “But I want to make one thing crystal clear to you. That me is in the past. I'm not going to run around on Pepper, and I’m gonna be here for you when you need me. I promise. Got it, Pete?”

Peter feels like crying, and he bites his tongue hard enough to stave it off. Tony obviously doesn’t know, or else he wouldn’t have said that. He’s trying his best to make things okay, Peter knows it, but given the real history, it kind of stings. What does it say about how Tony felt about Peter’s mom if Tony regrets his past mistakes? What does it say about Peter? Would Tony still say that if he knew the truth?

Tony must have sensed his distress, because he puts his arm around Peter and pulls him in for a hug, holding him tight and pulling his head against his chest. It’s rare that Tony hugs him this tightly, so Peter leans into it. 

“You can talk to me,” Tony says softly. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Peter squeezes his eyes shut and pulls up a hand to quickly wipe away a tear or two. Tony clearly knows something is off. He’s known for a while, and now he knows that Peter knows about the note. He’s not going to yell and demand that Peter tell him now, but he may not wait forever. Eventually, Peter will have to say something because he doesn't think Tony will just drop it. It’s too weird to drop it and never think about it again. 

After a moment, Tony pats his back. “Say something.”

Peter wants to tell him he’s afraid. He wants to ask him if he means it that he won’t go anywhere. Will he still want to be there for Peter even if he knows the truth? But he can’t say any of those things. “I don’t know what to say,” he admits, his voice a little shaky despite his efforts.

“Do you… wanna talk about the note?”

“No,” Peter mutters.

“How about my past?”

“No,” Peter replies even faster this time. 

Tony’s hands find his shoulders, and he gently pushes him back, removing one hand so he can brush the hair out of Peter’s eyes and get a good look at him. “Okay, fine. But you believe me when I say that I’m here for you, right? I know I haven’t always been the most reliable, and my past is a little shady—”

Peter narrows his eyes at him.

“ _Okay_ , I won’t talk about it. But what I’m trying to say is that I mean it. It took me a while, but I know what my priorities are. You and Pep are at the top of the list, like it or not. Actually, she doesn’t always like that… and maybe you won’t either.” Tony lets go of Peter to scratch the side of his head in thought. “Let’s just say I can be a little overprotective sometimes.”

“I know,” Peter says before he can stop himself. 

Tony smiles at him. “Oh, good! You’re aware. So, we have a deal here?” He gestures between them.

Peter just blinks. “You lost me.”

Tony’s face turns serious, and he clears throat. “Whatever it is you know about that note, you can come talk to me about it when you’re ready. And before you say anything, I believe you when you said you didn’t take it from me. I wasn’t thinking, and I’m sorry I accused you of that. You’re right, that didn’t make any sense. But when you want to talk about it, I’ll be ready. Okay?”

Peter’s throat has the biggest lump in it, and his eyes are stinging, but he manages to keep his tears in check while he looks back into Tony’s eyes and nods. 

“Good,” Tony says. “Now, tell me about the backpack.”

~*~

Between pizza slices that night, Peter spends his time sewing on an Ironman patch over the hole in his backpack. He sticks his fingers countless times, and it looks like a kindergartner sewed it on in some art class, but by the end of it, the hole is covered, and Peter’s new backpack is saved.

However, when he climbs into bed, sleep does not come. All Peter can think about are the events from earlier that day and the words Tony spoke to him. His mind runs over the things he said and shouldn’t have said and how he maybe should have said them differently, but it does not allow him to sleep at all. Finally, he rolls over and reaches for his phone, his thumb hovering over the screen.

He realizes then that he wants to know more. Even though he told Tony he doesn’t want to know about the past, it’s not really true. He wants to know about the night Tony met his mom. What did they say to each each other? Did they dance every dance together? Were any photos taken? And more importantly… were any of them published? He’s about to do a search for them when he remembers that the phone he has belongs to none other than Tony and so does the internet service and wifi. He may trust the man with his life, but he doesn’t trust him not to snoop through his technology.

Instead, he gets a better idea. He doesn’t know why he didn’t think of it in the first place. He has a best friend, after all, who could easily hack almost any website he wanted to look for photos and information on some boring gala that happened almost seventeen years ago. All he has to do is ask Ned to help him. Of course, that involves telling Ned the secret. There’s no getting around it if he’s going to ask for his help, after all. 

So he quickly navigates to his text messages.

**Peter: I need your help with something. Sleepover at your place later this week? I just gotta somehow get back to the city. Let me know ASAP what day your mom says is okay and I’ll figure it out. Oh... forgot to tell you. I’m staying at the compound this week**

**Ned: It’s 3AM! What are you doing up??**

**Peter: Can’t sleep. Thinking about this project. I’ll tell you all about it later**

**Ned: Uh oh……. Why do i have a bad feeling about this**

**Peter: Don’t have a bad feeling! Just ask your mom in the morning, okay? I’m going to see if Mr Stark will let me drive my car there**

**Ned: DUDE!!! That would be awesome!! I’ll ask first thing in the morning!!**

**Peter: Thanks!! Let me know! Night!**

**Ned: Night!**

Peter sets his phone back on his nightstand and puts his head back on his pillow, blinking through the darkness. This is it. In a very short amount of time, he’s going to tell someone his secret. It’s not going to be Tony—not yet, anyway—but he’s going tell Ned, and it’s going to be okay.

~*~

Peter wakes up to a text the next morning from Ned that he is welcome to come over any night that week, so he wastes no time plotting in his head how he’s going to bring it up to Tony over breakfast. The only problem is he’s pretty tired from not sleeping much, so that makes it just a little difficult. Also, Pepper is home with them, so instead of something unhealthy like chocolate chip pancakes or frosting covered donuts, he drags himself to the kitchen to find plates of fruit and bowls of oatmeal. It doesn’t exactly help to wake him up.

“Sleep okay?” Tony says from over his usual cup of coffee. It doesn’t appear that he’s at all interested in anything else on the table.

Peter yawns and stretches in a last ditch attempt to wake up. “Yeah, it was okay,” he says, which is kind of like a half truth. “Fruit for breakfast?”

Tony’s eyes widen just as Pepper comes into the kitchen with her tablet tucked under her arm and a green smoothie in her hand.

“Good morning!” she says, setting her things down at the end of the table. “And yes, fruit for breakfast. Do you want me to make you a smoothie?”

Peter sits down and grabs his bowl of oatmeal and the bowl of the sugar. He’s going to need a lot of it. “No, thank you. Good morning, Miss Potts.”

“Well, if you change your mind…” she trails off while she scoops up some fruit onto her plate and then scoops some onto Tony’s while he looks down at it with disdain from his coffee mug. “Do you want some, Peter?”

“Yes, please,” Peter says not only because he’s hungry, but because if Tony is afraid to tell Pepper no, then he probably should be, too.

Pepper scoops up some more fruit and deposits onto Peter’s plate. “So what are you boys up to today?”

Peter stabs a strawberry, sensing an opening. “Actually, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I mean, maybe not today, but some other day this week. If it’s okay.”

Tony looks up from his coffee, his full attention on Peter.

“It’s not a big deal,” Peter says, seeing the concern in his eyes. “I was just wondering if maybe one day this week I could spend the night at Ned’s. His mom already said it was okay.”

The concern falls away from Tony’s expression. “I don’t see why not, but it would have been nice to know yesterday since we were already there in Queens. Could have killed two birds with one stone and all of that.”

Peter looks down at his oatmeal and stirs in some more sugar. “Sorry. I wasn’t thinking. You don’t have to take me, Mr Stark. I can drive myself.” He looks back up. “You know, since I have my license. If you let me take the car, that is.”

It feels like the table is quiet for a long time while Tony stares at him, thinking about his response.

“Actually,” Pepper says, and they both look over at her. “I was going to send Happy in with some documents today. Why don’t the two of you take them instead. Tony, you can spend the night in the penthouse and pick up Peter tomorrow. Problem solved.”

“Maybe Mr Stark is busy,” Peter says quietly when Tony still doesn’t say anything right away. It’s actually kind of bothering him how quiet Tony is being throughout this conversation. He looks like he wants to say something so badly but is holding it in, and Peter isn’t sure why. 

“I’m not busy,” Tony finally says, reaching for his fork and going after the fruit on his plate at last. “I actually took this week off, but I can catch up on stuff if we drive in, like Pepper said. You sure, though? I was thinking we could spend some time in the lab today.” He looks back at Peter before biting off a piece of pineapple from the end of his fork.

“It’s only Tuesday,” Peter says even though he feels a little guilty about ditching Tony during their week together, especially after that. “Can’t we work in the lab later this week? We still have plenty of time to do lots of things, right?”

“Yeah, that’s true,” Tony says, but he’s looked away from Peter now and is working on getting more coffee into his cup. “And I suppose Happy will be thrilled now that he doesn’t have to drive back and forth all day. Why don’t you ask Ned what time you can come over. Maybe later this afternoon? Then let me know.”

“Thanks, Mr Stark!” Peter says, grinning before digging into his breakfast at full speed. He wishes he had pancakes instead of oatmeal, and bacon instead of fruit, but it’s still good. His appetite is back, especially since now he knows he has a chance of finding out more information tonight. And he’s actually really excited about it.

~*~

The ride back to the city is quiet enough to make Peter second guess all his plans. He wonders how much Tony has thought about the post-it most of all. It’s not out of the realm of possibilities that Tony could figure out who he wrote that post-it to if he thought hard enough about it or had a memory or maybe an old photograph stashed somewhere. Tony is a genius, after all. Then again, like he had been telling Peter, he drank a lot back then and probably doesn’t actually remember, which Peter doesn’t know if that’s good or bad, but considering the fact that Tony hasn’t said a word to him about it since they left his apartment yesterday, he’s guessing it means he hasn’t figured it out. Yet. It’s just so nerve wracking to sit in the car when neither one of them has anything to say. 

When they finally pull up to Ned’s, Tony clears his throat. “I don’t have to worry about you getting into trouble, do I?”

“I didn’t even bring the suit with me,” Peter says automatically. “It’s a movie night. We always do this before school starts movie night thing. That’s all. I won't be fighting crime. Promise.” It’s kind of true. They do usually have a before school starts movie night thing. It’s just usually on the weekend. And he won’t be fighting crime at all. That part is one hundred percent true.

“Okay, good.” Tony nods. “I’ll pick you up around noon tomorrow. Don’t stay up all night. We can spend tomorrow evening in the lab if you’re not too tired, alright?”

Peter smiles. “Yeah, that would be great. Thanks, Mr Stark. And thanks for driving me all the way here. I know it’s a long way, and you probably wanted to be with Miss Potts.”

“Don’t worry about me. I’m going to get some work done uninterrupted in the penthouse lab tonight. Which is why you better sleep tonight because you might be driving us home. Got it?” He winks.

“Got it.” 

Tony reaches forward and ruffles his hair a little before Peter ducks away and out of the car with another thanks and goodbye. Peter dashes up to the house, turning to wave once more before disappearing inside. He can hear the engine of the car rev up as it moves down the street.

“So what’s going on?” Ned says as Peter walks in with his things through the front door of the Leeds’ residence. “I’ve been going crazy wondering what this secret project is. Is it Spider-man related?”

“Shh!” Peter hushes, looking around the living room, but they’re all alone. “And no, it’s not.”

“Don’t worry. My parents took my little sister to her softball game. They’ll be back later. They said we could order some food and left some money.”

Peter is barely listening. “Okay, great. Let me put my stuff in your room, and then we’ll go over some things.” He leads the way to Ned’s room and then shuts the door behind them even though he knows they’re alone in the house. He just feels better with the door closed. “I’m not really sure if I should tell you or I should show you. Because you probably won’t believe me if you don’t see it for yourself. In which case, we should probably go to my place quick before everyone gets back here. I can explain what the project is on the way back. Sound good?”

Ned is looking at him like he’s lost his mind. “Um. Okay?”

“Good.” Peter says, making a break back towards the bedroom door. “Let’s go out the back door in case Mr Stark circled around the block or something.”

Ned follows him. “Is this illegal? Is he going to track your phone?”

Peter freezes. “Good point. Better leave that here just in case.” He digs his phone out of his pocket and tosses it onto Ned’s bed. “Let’s go.”

“Are you sure?” Ned asks as Peter rushes past him. 

“Yes! Come on!” 

The two of them make their way through Ned’s small house, through the living room and the kitchen and through the back door where they sneak out into the alley through a gate in a chain link fence. Peter can tell that Ned has a million questions, but they’re walking so fast, and it’s hard for Ned to keep up, so he’s out of breath and not able to ask them while they make the trek to Peter’s apartment building.

Finally, they arrive, and Ned breathes a big sigh of relief. “Okay, so show me. I’m dying to know what this big secret is.”

A wave of anxiety hits Peter, but he swallows it at the same time he shoves his key into the lock of his unit and turns it. If he can’t tell Ned, then there’s no way he’s going to work up the courage to tell Tony. This is like a baby step. “Okay, go inside and wait on the couch,” he says once he has the door open. “I’ll go grab it from my room, and then we’ll talk about it.” He waits for Ned to do just that and makes his way to his room and the box. 

Once more, he drags the chair into his closet and steps up, carefully setting aside the old hard drives and pulling down the box. After it’s safely recovered, he finds a pocket knife in his desk drawer and slices it open, thinking he was so stupid to tape it up in the first place. He takes out the notebook that contains the letter and the jewelry box with the necklace and then walks back to the living room, trying his best to take deep breaths.

It hits him then that he doesn’t even have the undeniable proof because Tony shoved that stupid post-it in his pocket yesterday like it belonged to him. He wishes he had taken a picture, but he had been so traumatized by the shock of it all, that he hadn’t even thought to do it. Then again, evidence on his phone is probably a really bad idea, anyway. He hopes Ned doesn’t think the idea of it is ridiculous without it.

Ned is sitting on the couch waiting for him, blinking at him like he’s insanely curious. “Come on, Peter! I’m dying here!”

“Okay, okay!” he rushes over to the couch and plops down beside him. “So on my sixteenth birthday, May gave me this box of stuff that was my mom’s, only she obviously didn’t go through any of it because it had this letter my mom wrote to me in it and it… had some shocking information.” He opens the notebook to the letter and hands it to Ned. “It’s kind of long, so I’ll summarize it for you, but you can still read it if you want. Basically, she got into a fight with my dad and hooked up with someone before I was born… resulting in me.”

Ned looks up at him from the letter. “What? You mean… your dad isn’t your real dad?”

“Right. See?” Peter points down at the letter where his mom is talking about the Christmas Gala. “She met a guy at a gala with celebrities. He swept her off her feet, gave her presents, made her promises, blah blah blah, and then she made up with my dad and never talked to him again.”

“Wow.” Ned reads a little more and then puts the notebook down on his lap. “No wonder you’ve been off this last week. This is crazy news!”

“Actually, that’s not all of it.” Peter grabs the necklace box and cracks it open, revealing it to Ned. “I also found this.”

“Whoa!” Ned gently takes the box and gazes upon the brilliant sapphire and diamond necklace, his eyes lighting up in its reflection. “Is that your mom in the picture? She’s so pretty!”

Peter leans back a little, knowing which part he’s going to share next. “Yeah. I’m pretty sure the necklace is real. It doesn’t look like anything else my mom had in the box. It reminds me more of the necklaces Miss Potts wears when she dresses up for charity balls and fancy things. That’s what makes me think it’s real.” He swallows hard while Ned lowers the box on top of the notebook.

“So, your biological father is rich?” Ned says, his eyes meeting Peter’s. “I mean, he must have been if he gave your mom this. And she did say there were celebrities and stuff at the Gala in her letter. Do you have any idea who it is?”

“Yeah…” Peter looks away. “There was another note. But I don’t have it anymore. Just bear with me.” He scoots away and pulls his legs up onto the couch, sitting on them and facing Ned. “There was this post-it in the box. Don’t freak out. It was a note written to my mom, and it was from Mr Stark.”

Ned cocks his head to the side. “What? Mr Stark knew your mom?”

Peter grabs the jewelry box from Ned’s lap and holds it up. “It was about this. Mr Stark gave my mom the necklace. Mr Stark is—”

“Your biological dad!” Ned’s eyes are the size of saucers. “ _Oh my God!_ ”

Peter’s glad he didn’t have to say it out loud himself. It sounds foreign even coming out of Ned’s mouth much less his own. But based on the evidence, he knows it’s most likely true. 

“Have you said anything to him yet?” Ned asks.

“No, I’m afraid to,” is what comes spilling out from Peter. “I mean, I almost did. I accidentally didn’t get the post-it in the box, and he found it. Dude, that was so hard to explain to him. Actually, I didn’t explain it. I don’t know where he thought I got it from. I was too afraid to ask him. He’s probably trying to figure it out right now. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if he already did. I’m so stupid, Ned. I should have just told him.”

“Peter!” Ned grabs his arm. “That made no sense. But it’s okay. You can still tell him. Just call him up and have him come over. I’ll be here for you.” He lets go of Peter’s arm and gives it a pat.

Peter sniffs and wipes at a traitor tear. “No, not yet. I need to know for sure. What if the note is about something else? What if Mr Stark isn’t the guy my mom was with that weekend? What if he just saw her and thought she was pretty so he sent her the necklace? I need to know for sure.”

Ned raises an eyebrow. “You could ask him?”

“No. We need to find some photos from that night and see if we can see who my mom was with. If we can find a picture of the guy she was with then we’ll know for sure who my biological father is. I can’t say something to Mr Stark about this unless I know for sure.” He knows he’s reaching. If Tony had just seen her in the dress, why would he send her an expensive necklace? And even if he did, why would he write ‘call me’ and not put his number? But this is something he needs to see with his own two eyes, so he doesn’t voice these concerns with Ned.

“So… I’m afraid to ask. How are we going to get this evidence?” Ned says tentatively.

Peter sits up straight, gathering the jewelry box and the notebook so he can tuck them into his backpack. “We’re going to find photos from that night. And we’ll hack in if it’s not available to the public.”

Ned groans. “Fine. But can we order some food first? I’m starving.”

~*~

After sesame chicken, broccoli and beef, egg rolls, and cream cheese wontons, Peter and Ned set themselves up at Ned’s desk in front of his laptop. At first they start with some simple search terms to find out what kind of Christmas Galas were happening the year before Peter was born, but quickly narrow the list down to the only notable one that celebrities would have attended. The only other one mentioned in the newspaper was for a hospital and the closest thing to a celebrity that had attended was the mayor, so they crossed that off the list. It also helped that the remaining gala was thrown by Stark Industries as a seasonal charity event. Obviously, Tony would be there. But Peter already knew that. 

“Do we really need to dig any further?” Ned asks while they’re scrolling through news websites looking for stories and photos from that date. 

“I need to see it,” Peter says between his teeth. “Here. This one.” He clicks on an article from The Washington Post that’s about an interview with some scientist that was at the Gala that night. There are two photographs of the guy. One where he’s sitting at a decked out table, and another that appears to be a red carpet type event where he has a pretty lady on his arm. Peter can see people in the background of both photos but he doesn’t recognize any of them.

“Who cares about this guy?” Ned says, skimming the article.

“No one, but their photographer was there that day taking photos. I’m sure they didn’t get just two photos. There are probably tons more in their database. We just have to… access them.”

Ned raises an eyebrow. “And you don’t think if they got a pic of Mr Stark and your mom they wouldn’t have used that one?”

“This is a legit newspaper, not a tabloid,” Peter says. “Come on, Ned. They might be in the background. We have to get in and see for sure. Then when I’ve seen it with my own two eyes, I can ask Mr Stark about it. I have to do it this way.”

Ned is quiet for a while, and then he heaves a heavy sigh. “Fine. Move over. I already know how I’m going to do this.”

Peter gladly moves over and lets his friend get to work on hacking The Washington Post’s database for additional photos from that night. It’s hard to wait while he watches Ned do his thing. It’s almost like opening that box again and the anticipation and dread of finding the one bit of information in there that he needs to uncover the truth. Only this time, it’s more like confirmation of it. 

“We’re in,” Ned finally says, the screen before them loading with thumbnails of photos. “They’re huge. That’s why it’s taking so long. I really need a new computer if we’re going to keep doing stuff like this.”

One by one, the photos appear, and Peter holds his breath. “Click on that one, he says, seeing one with a flash of blue in the background. His mother was wearing a blue dress, after all. 

Ned clicks, but the lady wearing blue is an elderly matron and most definitely not Peter’s mom. He quickly clicks off and waits for more photos to load. “Wait, what’s that one?” He points to a photo that’s just loading in the corner of the screen. It features the scientist sitting at the table and behind them appears to be another woman dressed in blue, this time, dancing with a man wearing black. Without waiting for a response from Peter, Ned clicks.

The photo is pixelated at first, but it clears up all at once. Dancing in the background, is none other than Peter’s mother with Tony Stark. It’s the very evidence he’s been looking for, and yet, Peter isn’t sure how he’s supposed to be feeling.

“That’s them!” Ned exclaims. “We found them!”

Peter just stares at the photo. He feels a little like an intruder. Even though the photo is a little blurry, he can see that his mom and Tony are staring into each other’s eyes like they’re the only two people in the room. Obviously, Tony was the man his mom mentioned in her letter. And now clearly, Peter is going to have to do something about it. There is no more denying it on any level.

“You okay, man?” Ned says in a quieter voice.

Peter clears his throat. “Not sure. How am I supposed to tell him all this?” He points to the picture on the screen. “I wasn’t there. This isn’t my responsibility. I just happened to get my mom’s things in that dumb box. It’s not really fair.” He takes in a breath and lets it out slowly. “But I guess it’s not fair to him, either. My mom should have told us both. But in her defense, she did die kinda soon after that.”

Ned pats his back. “I don’t think he’s going to blame you.”

“He might be mad I didn’t tell him right away. It’s been like a week and a half.”

Without warning, the images on Ned’s computer disappear. 

“Dude!” Ned cries, grabbing the mouse, and trying to figure out what’s going on. “Uh oh.” He looks over at Peter. “Oh no. This isn’t good. I think we were shut down.”

Before Peter can even reply, his phone buzzes from where it’s sitting on Ned’s desk. The screen lights up with Tony’s photo, and it doesn’t take Peter long to figure out what’s probably happened. He’s shaking a little when he reaches for the phone. “Hello?”

“What are you and Ned doing? I thought you said it was movie night?” Tony’s angry voice comes through the line.

“It is!” Peter says because he doesn’t know what else to say. Does Tony know what they’ve been doing? Does he somehow have access to Ned’s computer? He doesn’t want to give anything away until he knows for sure. “We just haven’t started yet.”

Tony’s quiet for too long. “Pete. I have a very good friend who works for IT at The Washington Post who called me because someone was hacking into a file from an old charity event I hosted. Imagine my surprise when the IP address led to Ned’s house. You wanna try again?”

Peter puts his hand over the phone and looks at Ned. “You didn’t block our location?” he whispers.

“I did!” Ned whisper-shouts back.

Peter sighs and turns away from his friend. It doesn’t matter. Whatever software was used had some sort of override for their VPN, and they were dealing with Tony anyway, so he shouldn’t be surprised. “I’m sorry, Mr Stark,” he says into the phone, feeling and sounding defeated. “I can explain everything, but I’d rather not do it over the phone.”

“Good, because your sleepover is toast. I’ll be there in five minutes to pick you up, so grab all your things and come out to the car. And you can tell your hacker friend that the two of you will be working on a project for me in the future to pay me back for bailing you out of this mess.”

“Okay.” Peter gets up from his chair and grabs his backpack from the floor. “I’ll be right outside. Bye.”

“Is he pissed?” Ned says, following him to the bedroom door. 

“Yeah. He says we’re going to have to do some sort of project for him in return for him bailing us out with The Washington Post. I guess they weren’t happy, either.” Peter hikes up his backpack on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, man. This is all my fault. I practically made you do it. Let’s just tell your parents that something came up and I have to go. They don’t have to know about anything else.”

Ned puts a hand on his shoulder. “I’m with you on that. But I’ll help you with whatever the project Mr Stark has for us is, okay? Good luck telling him. Let me know how it goes.”

Peter promises he will, and then they go out into the living room, making vague excuses to Ned’s parents so he can get out the front door. Tony is already waiting in the driveway in Peter’s red car with the lights on, and Peter kind of feels like he’s going to throw up a bunch of Chinese food in the bushes. 

Tony flashes the lights at him to get him moving, and Peter finally makes a move towards the car and climbs into the passenger seat. He grabs for his seatbelt and clicks it into place, all while Tony is watching and waiting.

The silence is deafening.

“You have to tell me what’s going on,” Tony finally says.

Peter expected him to be mad, but instead, Tony’s voice is laced with desperation, almost like he’s scared. And Peter feels awful for keeping him in the dark so long, even if it’s only been a week. “I will,” he promises. “But can we go to the penthouse or back to my apartment? I don’t want to talk in Ned’s driveway.”

“Let’s go back to the penthouse,” Tony says, putting the car into the reverse and carefully pulling out of the driveway. “We can sleep there tonight and drive back to the Compound in the morning.”

Peter just nods, not trusting himself to say anything. He’s scared, too. He spends the torturously long and quiet ride to Tony and Pepper’s penthouse suite in Manhattan going over and over in his head what he’s going to say and how he’s going to say it. No matter how many times he goes over it in his head, it doesn’t feel right, though. This isn’t something a kid should be telling a dad.

On the elevator ride up to the penthouse, Tony puts his hand on Peter’s shoulder and gives it a squeeze. “Why don’t you put your things in the guest room and then meet me in the living room,” he says when the elevator doors open. 

Peter steps out, bringing his backpack forward into his hands. “Actually, I have some things you should see.”

Tony nods. “Go sit down then. I’m going to get us some water. Are you hungry?”

Peter shakes his head and waits while Tony heads off towards the kitchen before he makes his way to the living room. FRIDAY turns on the lights for him as he enters, and he takes a seat at the end of the couch, still clutching his backpack in his hands. 

When Tony returns with the glasses of water, Peter doesn’t budge from his seat to take one and lets Tony set them both on the coffee table. 

“So,” Tony says after he’s taken a seat beside him. “Do you want to start? Or should I?”

Peter feels his face heat up. Does Tony know? What exactly does he know? Or maybe he’s just talking about the hacking thing? Maybe he wants Peter to fess up about that first? Then again, maybe he’s figured out everything after he saw the photo of himself with Peter’s mom. Crap. He’s just going to have to lay it all out on the table. 

He swallows the lump in his throat. “I’ll start. I should have said something yesterday.”

Before Peter can say a word, Tony puts his hand to his face and mumbles, “FRIDAY, show the kid The Washington Post photos.”

“I thought I was starting,” Peter says quietly, looking up to see the same photo that he and Ned had been looking at earlier appear before them as a hologram.

Tony lets the hand fall from his face and sets it on Peter’s back instead. “Actually, I think I should. I’ve been going crazy since I saw that note I wrote ages ago at your place yesterday, trying to figure out how it got there and where you even found it. When my buddy called me up and showed me what you and Ned were looking at, I’m pretty sure I figured it out. I’m sorry I didn’t remember, bud.”

Peter blinks back a few unexpected tears. Tony's acknowledgement of the memory triggers a feeling in him he doesn’t expect. “It’s okay,” he says, wiping at his eyes. “Like you said, it was a long time ago.”

“So,” Tony says, tugging Peter in a little closer. “From what I remember, and according to my chicken scratch on that post-it, I was desperately trying to get your mother to call me back. And she didn’t. Maybe that’s when she met your dad?”

Peter stiffens under his arm. Clearly, he doesn’t know the full story. Sure, he figured out that he dated Peter’s mom for a brief time, but he didn’t figure out the rest. “No, that’s not what happened,” Peter says, reaching down between his ankles to where he let go of his backpack. “May gave me an old box with some of my mom’s things in it on my birthday. That’s where I found that note you wrote. I didn’t mean for you to find it, that was an accident.” He unzips the bag and reaches inside, feeling around for the notebook he had stuffed in there earlier. “Take some deep breaths. I’m going to show you a letter she wrote.”

Tony’s looking at him like he’s a little crazy, but when Peter hands him the notebook, he takes it.

And then it’s the world’s longest couple of minutes while Tony reads the letter, and Peter waits for a reaction. This is it. This is the moment he’s been avoiding all week, and it’s here. Now what will happen? Will Tony freak out? Will he shut himself up in his room and pretend like Peter’s not there? Will he leave? Or will he kick Peter out and deny that it’s true? Peter can imagine so many outcomes while he chews on his lower lip and waits, holding his breath when Tony finally sets the notebook on the couch cushion beside himself and looks up at him. 

To Peter’s surprise, there are tears in Tony’s eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me about this?”

Peter doesn’t have a good answer, so he just looks back at Tony with his mouth half open. “I—I didn’t know how,” he’s finally able to get out. “And I wasn’t a hundred percent sure it was true. Which is why I asked Ned to help me find photos from the night. I guess it doesn’t really prove anything except the story in the letter, though.”

But Tony’s looking at him like it’s the first time he’s laid eyes on him, and Peter’s not sure he’s heard a word he’s said. 

“Are you okay, Mr Stark?” Peter asks just before Tony reaches out and pulls him to his chest in a hug that rivals the one May gave him after Ben died. He takes in as big of a breath as he can under Tony’s tight grasp and prepares to continue. “I’m really sorry we hacked into the Washington Post, by the way. I should have just asked you.”

“Stop,” Tony says, his voice tearful. “And listen to me. I didn’t know about any of this. If I had, things would have been very different, and I definitely would have stepped up. I was a little messed up back then, but I would have done my best. That aside, I already consider you my kid, blood or no blood. This just makes things a little more complicated. But it’s going to be okay.” He gives Peter a squeeze. “You hear me?”

Peter nods into his shoulder. “Yeah.” He doesn’t know what else to say, so he spends a moment to take it all in.

“Do you want to be my kid?” Tony asks with a rare uncertainty that Peter almost never hears in his voice.

Peter pulls away from him. “Duh! I don’t pretend your dad jokes are hilarious for no reason.”

It takes Tony a second, but he grins. “Very funny. I don’t have any dad jokes.”

“ _All_ your jokes are dad jokes. You just don’t realize it.”

Tony reaches out to ruffle his hair. “You can make fun of my jokes when you’re not in trouble for hacking newspaper websites.”

Peter doesn’t duck and lets him get all the ruffles he wants. He doesn’t have anywhere to be where his hair needs to be in order, anyway. “You’re not going to tell May, are you?”

“Well, I guess it’s only fair since Ned got off the hook.” Tony smooths down Peter’s hair a little before drawing his hand back. “But we should probably tell her about the other thing. I’m guessing you haven’t since I haven’t heard anything from her about it yet.”

“Yeah… I only told Ned. But in my defense, May’s been out of town most of this time.”

Tony sits back and folds his arms over his chest. “You weren’t going to tell her, were you?”

“Nope.” Peter copies him, folding his arms, too. 

“Alright, so here’s the plan,” Tony says. “When May gets back, we’ll tell her together, and with her permission, since she’s your legal guardian and all, we’ll do a paternity test. Like I said before, you’re my kid either way, but I think it’s best if we all know where we stand so no one is left wondering. What do you think?”

Peter bites his lip. “Will things change?”

“One thing’s going to change.” Tony leans forward a little, his brows furrowing but the corner of his mouth still curled up slightly in a hint of a smile. “You need to stop calling me Mr Stark. You don’t have to call me ‘Dad’ if you don’t want to, but could you at least call me Tony? It’s about to get really weird otherwise.”

Peter smiles. “I’ll work on it.”

~*~

“I thought this was going to be really cool, but it’s not,” Ned says on the first Saturday after school starts from in front of the giant hologram monitors in Tony’s massive lab at the Compound. Their punishment for hacking into The Washington Post’s website is to go through FRIDAY’s code and find errors and make suggestions on how to improve her efficiency. Ned has a ten page document from the section he’s working on, and Peter is still on his first page. Peter is pretty sure the entire thing is busy work.

“FRIDAY is so boring,” he says, struggling to stay awake with his head in his head.

“I resent that, Peter,” FRIDAY’s voice fills the lab. “I’m only as boring as Boss made me. If you think I should be less boring, then maybe you should suggest more changes than the four you have listed in your document.”

Peter’s brows furrow. “I can think of a change right now. Something about not talking back.”

Before he can type the code into his document, there’s a laugh from the doorway, and both he and Ned look up to see Pepper standing there with a folder tucked under her arm. “Sorry,” she says. “You just reminded me of someone. Anyway, I wanted to speak to Ned about a future internship opportunity at SI. Peter, would you mind going up to the kitchen? Ned and I will join you a little bit.”

Peter blinks at her for a moment, wondering why she’s asking him to go to the kitchen. It’s not like Ned needs privacy if they’re going to talk about an internship, and it’s a little too early for dinner. “I’d rather just get through this section,” he says, gesturing to the hologram screen on his right. 

Pepper smiles kindly at him. “Please, Peter? You can save your work for later.”

Peter glances over at Ned to see his big smile and wide eyes—he’s absolutely thrilled about this internship opportunity, Peter can tell, so he gets up from his seat and makes his way towards where Pepper is standing at the door. “Okay, see you soon,” he says, looking back at his best friend before sliding past a smiling Pepper and rushing out to the hall where he finds the elevator that will bring him upstairs. It’s while he’s waiting in the elevator that he realizes that Pepper told him to go to the kitchen but didn’t tell him why. Is there food? Is he in more trouble? Or is there maybe some other reason why she wanted him to go up there?

By the time he’s walking down the hall toward Tony and Pepper’s suite, he’s highly suspicious and taking much slower, more calculated steps. He’s even pausing halfway there to see if he can listen in by using his spider senses, but all he can hear is the padding of a pair of shoes on the kitchen floor, and the sound of a drink being poured. Other than some heartbeats and breathing, it’s quiet. So he sighs and continues on his way. 

When he reaches the suite, he doesn’t bother knocking and lets himself in, walking around to the kitchen and poking his head into the entryway. “Hello?” he says, a little surprised to see Tony standing at the giant island with a pitcher of lemonade and three filled glasses while Aunt May sits on a stool at the other side. They both turn to look at him. “Why is it so awkward?” Peter asks.

“Have a seat,” Tony says, ignoring his question. 

Peter makes his way over and sits beside his aunt. “Am I in trouble?” 

May reaches over to rub his back. “No, honey, you’re not in trouble.”

“Not this time, anyway,” Tony adds in. 

She shoots him a look before she focuses back on Peter. “We just wanted to talk to you about the DNA results.”

Peter’s eyes snap up to hers and then flick over to Tony’s. “They’re in? Did you look at them?”

“They’ve been in for awhile,” Tony says, sliding a glass of lemonade towards Peter. “I’ve been busy arranging some things, so I wasn’t really ready to go over them yet. So no, I haven’t seen them. I thought we’d look at them together. And let me tell you. It was really difficult to resist opening the email. I had to give Pepper control of my inbox.”

Peter takes the lemonade, wrapping his hands around the cold glass. “Doesn’t Pepper already have control of your inbox?”

Tony raises an eyebrow at him while he sips at his lemonade. “Anyway, I think we’re ready, and since May can be here today, I figure now’s the perfect time to look at the results. What do you think? Any second thoughts?”

“No, I want to know,” Peter says right away, glancing to May for just a moment before focusing back on Tony. In the time that’s passed since he told Tony about the letter, he’s had a lot of time to think about what it all means, not only for him and his future, but also for Tony and Tony’s future. But what’s helped the most with all that is that is because now that everything's out in the open, he’s been able to talk about it with both Tony and May, and it’s helped him to not feel so insecure about it all. And most of all, he’s come to realize that Tony meant it when he said that blood didn’t really matter, and he wants Peter to be his kid either way. So now he’s comfortable with hearing the results.

That doesn’t mean he’s not hoping for a particular result. It would mean a lot to him if he could actually be Tony’s son for real. Peter’s knee starts to bounce when Tony reaches for the tablet resting at his elbow.

“Alright,” Tony says, walking around the island and coming to stand between Peter and May. “Everyone ready?”

Peter looks up from Tony’s inbox on the tablet to see that both Tony and May are looking directly at him for his reaction. “I said I wanted to know, didn’t I?”

“Okay,” Tony says, smiling at him before propping up the tablet on its case so he can get one arm around Peter’s shoulders. “Remember what I said about how it doesn’t really matter either way? Your aunt and I have been talking, and it’s not something you have to decide right now if you don’t want to, but we started the proceedings for me to adopt you. Meaning that she and I would share custody of you. Of course, one hundred percent up to you, bud.” He pats Peter’s back. “I just wanted to make it crystal clear how I felt about this either way.”

Peter finds himself biting his lip to try to hold off a little of the emotion he feels bubbling up in his chest. For almost his whole life he’s felt like a puzzle piece that didn’t quite fit into the big picture to varying degrees, but never more so when his Uncle Ben died. Not that Tony could ever replace his uncle, they were two completely different people, but he did sort of fill in a role that Peter had been desperately needing. Now that all of this has finally come to light and Tony actually wants him, he can begin to feel his edges snap into place. 

“Is May okay with it?” he manages to get out.

May, who had been sitting on the other side of Tony, watching Peter’s face intently, hops off her stool and walks over to the other side of him where she slips her arms around his waist and presses into his side. “Of course, I am, sweetie. I know I wasn’t Tony’s number one fan at first, and he spends probably more money on you than I think is necessary, but I’d have to be blind not to notice the change in you since he’s been in your life. And it’s clear to me that he loves you, so if he wants half the responsibility, then he can have at it.” 

“Ow,” Tony says, signaling that May must have poked him or something. “Anyway,” he says, clearing his throat. “Should we look at the results?”

“I’m ready. Open it,” Peter says, pulling the tablet closer.

Tony’s finger hesitates over the screen for a brief second before he taps the email, and they all wait while it pops up. Peter feels a bit numb, his eyes scanning the words, but it’s all data, and his jumbled mind isn’t making much sense of it right now. 

“Scroll down!” May says, hurrying Tony along.

Tony flicks his finger, and the screen moves towards the end of the email where there’s a conclusion paragraph. All Peter can see is one sentence.

_Tony Stark is the biological father of Peter Parker._

A first, Peter isn’t sure what he should do or say. Having it in front of him in black and white makes it so real, and even though he knew it was most likely true, to know that it’s one hundred percent a fact is still a little startling. He has a dad. This whole time he thought all he had was his aunt and his uncle and then just his aunt, but he really had a dad. And he still has one. 

Tony gives his shoulders a squeeze. “You okay, Pete? Good news, right?”

“Yeah, I’m just taking it in.” He feels a smile overcoming his features. “This is really good news. It’s official. Since you’re my dad, you don’t have to hide any birthday presents from May anymore.”

A look of shock and then betrayal plays over Tony’s face while his arm falls away from Peter’s shoulder in what’s probably an attempt to get away from May who has let go of Peter as well and is glaring at him while she folds her arms over her chest.

“What hidden birthday presents are you talking about, Peter?” she asks.

Peter claps a hand over his mouth. “Whoops,” he mumbles.

“Yeah, whoops,” Tony says, leaning against the counter. “Note to self. Don’t tell Peter anything you want kept a secret.”

“I didn’t tell her what it was!” Peter says, but he knows he’s doomed. Now that May knows it’s something, it’s just a matter of time until she finds out what exactly that something is. 

Tony is looking at him like part of him wants to be angry, but he loves him so much he just can’t. It only takes a second before he makes his way back to Peter and pulls him into a hug. “It’s okay,” he says gently. “I can always just take the car away if she says no.”

“A _car_?” May cries just before Pepper and Ned walk into the kitchen. From around Tony’s shoulder, Peter can see that Ned is holding onto the folder and looks like he’s had the best day of his entire life. 

“So, what are we celebrating tonight?” Pepper asks, taking the pitcher of lemonade and pouring out glasses for herself and Ned. 

Tony lets go of Peter with one arm so he can face his fiance. “The best gift I’ve ever received,” he says, grinning and squeezing Peter’s shoulder. “A son.”


End file.
